Hirdaramani Group’sEheliyagoda Facility receives LEED Gold Certification

(L-R) MenuwanPremaratne –Operations Manager, MaithriKiridenna – Divisional Head, Maintainance, PushpakumaraPerera – General Manager, SiddharthHirdaramani – Director, Magda Aghababyan - CEO – Co-Energy (Pvt)Ltd, MalkanthaKathriarachchi – Maintenance Manager and DemmithGunaratne – Assistant Manager, Environment Sustainability

HirdaramaniKnit,Eheliyagoda, was awarded the LEED Gold Certification by the U.S Green Building Council recently. The award, which is verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), marks the Hirdaramani Group’s fifth LEED Certified facility in Sri Lanka. The prestigious certification was audited by Co-Energy (Pvt.) Ltd.

The certification was awarded by Magda Aghababyan - CEO, Co-Energy (Pvt.) Ltd at the Eheliyagoda Auditorium in the presence of SiddharthHirdaramani - Director, Hirdaramani Group andPushpakumaraPerera - General Manager, HirdaramaniKnit, Eheliyagoda. 

The Eheliyagoda facility, one of the Group’s longest standing properties, underwent several improvements as a part of the Sustainability Strategy that is being implemented across all facilitiesin the Group. One of the key highlights of the facility’s achievements was an annual electricity saving of nearly 6% which amounts to approximately 82,990 kwh units. Adding to this, water usage per person was down from 36lt/day to 31lt/day, a reduction of 11%. The installation of a bio-mass boiler has resulted in a significant saving of 6,000 literes of fuel each month.

Commenting on the factors that made this achievement possible, PushpakumaraPerera - General Manager, Hirdaramani KnitEheliyagoda commented, “The LEED Gold Certification signifies that our sustainability efforts have been a success and none of it would have been possible without the unwavering support of our top management and our team at the Eheliyagoda facility. I wish to express my sincerest gratitude while giving assurance of our commitment to continuously developing a ‘green-mindset’ across the factory”.  

SiddharthHirdaramani, Director – Hirdaramani Group said, “Sustainability has always been at the core of our business. The staff at the Eheliyagoda facility have made a collective effort to ensurethat the Group’s goals to move towards more sustainable manufacturing processes are met, as we strive not only to transform the way we do business but also the way we live.”

LEED, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building programme that offers certification recognising organisations that implement best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification, building projects have to satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification. LEED has transformed how buildings and communities are designed, constructed, maintained and operated across the globe. LEED certified buildings save money and resources and have a positive impact on the health of occupants, while promoting the use of renewable, clean energy.